Hello Gardeners, I’m Amanda McNulty with Clemson Extension and Making It Grow . On my drive to Sumter, red maples proliferate in the river swamp but as I get closer to the Stateburg -Wedgefield intersection, low spots are filled with easily identified beech trees. Beech trees, Fagus grandifolia, want lots of moisture but not wet soils. They are extremely easy to spot in winter as they exhibit a condition called winter leaf marcescence. Although these trees are deciduous, the brown, dead leaves